Ambulance station on the way

Update for paramedic services: BDH Construction’s David Janes (from left), Terang and Mortlake Health Service board chair Barry Philp and chief executive officer Julia Ogdin, State Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos and Ambulance Victoria paramedic Allan Harvey and area manager Jerome Peyton celebrated the start of construction works on a $2 million state-of-the-art ambulance station in Terang.

AN IMPROVED environment for Terang’s paramedics is on its way, with work launched on a new ambulance station last week.

The state-of-the-art Terang ambulance branch will be co-located with the Terang hospital.

The station will replace the town’s existing facilities in Hampden Street, which were built in the 1970s and no longer meet the needs of a modern ambulance service.

State Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos said the $2 million Cameron Street station will allow local paramedics to respond faster to emergency situations.

“In a medical emergency, every second counts – that’s why we’re building a state-of-the-art ambulance branch for Terang,” she said.

“It will mean even faster response times and more local lives saved.”

The modern facility will include a three-bay garage, a training room, modern amenities, rest and recline rooms, staff parking and a reliever’s quarters for long-term paramedic accommodation.

Build under way: State Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos (from left) looked over the new ambulance station development plans with Terang paramedic Allan Harvey and BDH Construction’s David Janes.

The facility will be the base for about 12 ambulance community officers and creates potential for the Terang ambulance service to grow.

Terang and Mortlake Health Service chief executive officer Julia Ogdin said the new station will provide a closer relationship between the hospital staff and ambulance paramedics.

“We’re going to be working closely together to plan a lot of education together,” she said.

“It (the station) will complement the hospital beautifully.”

In the Corangamite Shire, ambulance response times have improved with 49.4 per cent of ambulances now arriving within 15 minutes for Code 1 emergencies, compared to 46.4 per cent during the previous quarter.

The average time for an ambulance to reach the scene of a Code 1 emergency in Corangamite has improved from 18 minutes and 25 seconds three months ago to 17 minutes and 25 seconds.

Member for Western Victoria Gayle Tierney said the station will provide a faster ambulance service for Terang.

“Under the Liberals, ambulance response times were the worst on the Australian mainland, but we fixed that by investing more than any government in Victoria’s history in helping paramedics get to emergencies faster,” she said.

The State Government’s support for the project is part of its $500 million ambulance package.

The State Government is building on its investment with a further $109 million boost to support paramedics and improve access to their life-saving services across Victoria.

The funding boost will help recruit more paramedics, build new stations and get 23 new vehicles on the road.